Who would ever think that a battle between two stag beetles could provide more intensity and drama than a Rocky Balboa–Apollo Creed prizefight? It happens in Microcosmos. The superb cinematography, sound effects and editing create anthropomorphic images that often make the viewer forget that this is a nature documentary. The filmmakers also capture the universal cycle of life — birth, work, death — as it plays out beneath our notice. The film was a popular sensation at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival.